Hiroshima Carp vs. Yakult Swallows!!

[Laura]

I'm going to my first Japanese baseball game tonight -- the Hiroshima Carp are taking on the Yakult Swallows at the Tokyo Shrine.

 

6th row seats! SWEET!

 

I've already been warned that eating peanuts and dropping the shells is considered disgusting ... and that (not to open any debates on this) =; booing anyone -- even the umpires -- is considered shockingly poor form.

 

I have my digital camera with me, but I don't the connector cable to download pictures with me. I also have the use of a camera phone, but since I don't take the greatest pictures with the digital camera (stupid digital zoom) that I have, I'm not real confident that the camera phone will be much better.

 

I wish I knew more about the teams and players, but I just found out about the tickets, so I'll be winging it.

 

Full report to follow.

[imb]

Have fun Mrs. Baseball

[fearthecubs]

I've been to eight Japanese baseball games, and let me tell you, they're an experience. There's noise -the entire game-. It's sort of like a concert, really. See if you can catch on to any of the chants, which are really fun if you can memorize them. Too bad you can't attend a Hanshin Tigers game, they're basically the Cubs of Japan.

[ChiblueTNT]

Go Carp!

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Have fun, Serena! I can't wait for the full report.

[Chris]

That sounds great! Have fun!

[1908]

I wish I knew more about the teams and players, but I just found out about the tickets, so I'll be winging it.

Keep your eye on Iwamura, the Swallows third baseman. He wears number 1.

 

Oh, and Swallows fans put up umbrellas when an opposing pitcher is pulled from the game because it's time for him to hit the showers.

[Roast]

Oh, and Swallows fans put up umbrellas when an opposing pitcher is pulled from the game because it's time for him to hit the showers.

 

Hahahahahahahaha. We need to start that at Wrigley.

[CuseCubFan69]

Oh, and Swallows fans put up umbrellas when an opposing pitcher is pulled from the game because it's time for him to hit the showers.

 

Hahahahahahahaha. We need to start that at Wrigley.

 

It would be a golden shower at Wrigley.

 

Enjoy Serena and remember you're our eyes and ears there!

[kylescubs23]

A friend of mine was the mascot for the Carp the last two years. He came back home in May though. He loved it there.

[Laura]

The game was truly a fantastic time. I went with my sister-in-law, Asako, and her sister, Noriko. Asako lived in Chicago -- Wrigleyville -- for about two years when she and my brother first were engaged, so she went to several Cubs games with us in 2002 & 2003. She often remarked on differences between U.S. and Japanese baseball (and U.S. and Japanese baseball fans), so it was great to go with her to a Japanese game. Asako was also a big Bellhorn fan, and was pleased to hear that he did well in the post-season last year.

 

Here's just some random fan impressions.

 

The stadium is in downtown Tokyo in Jingu Stadium, which is considered one of the more classic stadiums. (I'm a little confused about initially being told that it was at the Tokyo Shrine). They don't seem to draw many fans; at any rate, there were many more Carp fans than Swallows fans, and the Carp fans seemed much more enthusiastic. We had decided to root for the Swallows ahead of time (sorry, Carp fans!) because they were the home team and because Asako very much likes the frozen custard drink the team's owner produces.

 

You can bring all kinds of food and beverages into the stadium, so Asako greeted us at the train platform with two enormous, dripping plastic bags full of ice and random cans of beer she selected and had individually gift-wrapped (!) in case they didn't want beer brought in. The stadium is in downtown Tokyo, and the streets are packed with vendors selling all kinds of box-food for baseball fans; we stocked up on dumplings, fried chicken, skewered beef, and sesame noodles.

 

Sixth row seats were actually first row seats by the visitors bullpen mound just beyond 3rd base. There's enormous netting extending along the fan seating from foul pole to foul pole (not over the seating, just between the seats and the field). Fans don't show much interest in foul balls -- I did see an adult male fan with a baseball glove, though -- unless they're hit directly to them. Jingu has artificial turf and I saw a bullpen pitcher bouncing a baseball like a tennis ball off of it. The infield was also turf, including the basepaths (dirt around the bases, but not much -- doesn't seem like a park where you'd want to do a lot of sliding into bases). I had watched a game on tv the other night -- the all-star game? -- and the infield at that park was completely dirt -- no grass/turf at all.

 

Like Wrigley, the bleachers were definitely the place to be. 8) The fans are awesome and hilarious. It's all massively coordinated cheering; it reminded me of Indiana high school basketball or college football games. There are enormous flags for different fan sections, and the guys with the flags wear these huge leather belt-holsters for the flag poles, like something a sportsfisherman would wear to avoid being dragged into the sea.

 

Fans are yelling cheers constantly starting before the game; many "Let's Go __-____" and players' names and calls for homeruns and pleas to play well. They also synchronize jumping up and down (the Carp fans were better than the Swallows fans at this.) Once the game started, the Carp fans in LF would do their cheers for the leadoff hitter, then the Swallows fans would do their cheers when the pitcher got the out...repeated throughout the game. Every Carp strikeout was exciting, because a ticket number would be randomly selected for a prize.

 

The videoboard showed all these NBA-rap style videos of the Swallows players. They'd be looking all tough and intimidating in the video, but then they'd put these little balloon-style English quotes coming out of their mouths like "I will attempt to play to the best of my ability so that my team will emerge victorious!" Sadly, there was a mild earthquake during the game, and that seemed to knock out the videoboard and part of the scoreboard stats display.

 

Vendors wander around selling canned and draft beer and shots of whiskey. The Swallows fans did get to wave their green umbrellas, and the Carp fans all blew up very long balloons with bulges on the end (I guess they were carp-like balloons?) and screamers at the opening, then released them in unison at the beginning of the 6th inning. It sounded like incoming missiles.

 

Noriko asked if they cheered like that at Wrigley, and was shocked when Asako explained that the only coordinated cheering was usually "You Suck!" to opposing players ... and, of course, the 7th inning stretch, if you can count that.

 

Too bad you can't attend a Hanshin Tigers game, they're basically the Cubs of Japan.

 

Hilarious, Asako told me the same thing yesterday. "They usually don't have a good team, but their fans are very devoted to them." :?

 

 

In regards to the game ...

 

Swallows win, 6-2! box score

 

Keep your eye on Iwamura, the Swallows third baseman. He wears number 1.

 

We were seated just beyond the 3rd base bag. He didn't have a chance to do much in the field -- I think he had one chance and started a DP. He did have an extremely red-colored glove. There weren't any home runs in the game, but he did hammer a ball down the left-field line that the Carp OFer made a decent running catch on.

 

The pitcher throwing routines must be very different in Japan, because both bullpens had people up and pitching with intensity starting in about the 3rd inning. I can only guess that it was their turn to pitch on the side? But one Carp pitcher -- Takahashi, who ended up eventually coming into the game -- ended up pitching, seriously, about 4 straight innings on the side. And it didn't seem like he was taking it easy or loosening up at all. He would occasionally back off the bullpen mound and long-toss it, but the rest of the time he was pitching fast and furiously. A little old lady sitting near us was a big Takahashi fan and kept shouting to him that she was praying for his success, which Asako and Noriko found hilarious because they thought he looked more and more nervous every time she shouted it.

 

My favorite player was immediately the wiley lefty starting pitcher for the Swallows, Masanori Ishikawa. He was unstoppable! Bases loaded, no outs in the 2nd -- no problem for Ishikawa, who got the clutch K and then a 1-2-3 double play. Mild earthquake in the top of the 5th? Not a problem. 6.1 innings (I was sad when he left the game), 0Rs, 7Ks (7 lucky winners), 1BB; he did give up 8 hits, but all were singles. I was surprised to see today that he has an ERA over 5. ETA: Ishikawa also had a clutch 2-out broken-bat single, which also impressed me.

 

All in all, a good time was had by all. I took a few pictures, but I haven't figured out how to get them online yet. Maybe I never will.

[1908]

I had watched a game on tv the other night -- the all-star game? -- and the infield at that park was completely dirt -- no grass/turf at all.

If you were watching the All-Star game, that's be Koshien Stadium, home of the Tigers.

 

He did have an extremely red-colored glove.

Yep, that's Iwamura. He also uses a bright-red bat, typically.

[fromthestretch]

Oh, and Swallows fans put up umbrellas when an opposing pitcher is pulled from the game because it's time for him to hit the showers.

 

Hahahahahahahaha. We need to start that at Wrigley.

 

It would be a golden shower at Wrigley.

 

Enjoy Serena and remember you're our eyes and ears there!

 

I thought we let Alou go. :P

[BeerHere]

Sadly, there was a mild earthquake during the game, and that seemed to knock out the videoboard and part of the scoreboard stats display.

 

 

:shock:

[CuseCubFan69]

Great stuff Serena...thanks!

[Roast]

"I will attempt to play to the best of my ability so that my team will emerge victorious!"

 

 

:lmao:

 

That is awesome.

[Laura]

I had watched a game on tv the other night -- the all-star game? -- and the infield at that park was completely dirt -- no grass/turf at all.

If you were watching the All-Star game, that's be Koshien Stadium, home of the Tigers.

 

Yes! That was the stadium. We haven't been watching much tv since I arrived here, but Asako found the game a few nights ago while flipping through the channels, so we watched it for a little while.

 

It was fun ... when a player hit a home run, he was immediately interviewed by a gaggle of media types, like the red carpet time at the Oscars. :)

 

The drastic differences in the infields I've seen so far interested me, given that I've heard about field conditions being a consideration when evaluating how a Japanese infielder may adjust to MLB (defensively, anyway).

 

I've visited Japan a couple of times before, but never during baseball season, so I was psyched to get a chance to go on this trip (which isn't really a site-seeing trip).

 

He did have an extremely red-colored glove.

Yep, that's Iwamura. He also uses a bright-red bat, typically.

 

Interesting! What's the significance of red to him?

[ChiblueTNT]

Sadly, there was a mild earthquake during the game, and that seemed to knock out the videoboard and part of the scoreboard stats display.

 

 

:shock:

 

Small quakes are common in Japan. They are usually broadcasted on TV with blurbs that scroll the top or the bottom of the TV....

 

 

Damn Yakult won? :cry:

 

Your wife is right though, Yakult drink is good.

[TruffleShuffle]

and that (not to open any debates on this) =; booing anyone -- even the umpires -- is considered shockingly poor form.

 

I don't think I could go... I was born and raised just outside Philly, and I'm not sure I can attend a baseball game without booing somebody or something. :oops:

[Laura]

Small quakes are common in Japan. They are usually broadcasted on TV with blurbs that scroll the top or the bottom of the TV....

 

I've felt a few so far!

 

 

Damn Yakult won? :cry:

 

Your wife is right though, Yakult drink is good.

 

I'm actually female, and she's my sister-in-law (not that there'd be anything wrong with that ...). :D

 

And the drinks ARE good!